AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State men's basketball program made a positive step toward building a solid foundation for the future with the announcement of two more signees for the recruiting class of 2002-03 today.

"As a whole, this group can come in and have an impact on the program immediately," ISU head coach Larry Eustachy said. "The combination of the new recruits and the young talent already in our program has me extremely optimistic for the future."

The addition of Barnes and Harper gives ISU a recruiting class that is ranked among the nation's best, including a No. 2 ranking by HoopScoop and a No. 4 ranking by Basketball News. HoopScoop's and Basketball News' rankings are one of the few recruiting services which rated the classes after the commitments of Harper and Barnes. The remainder of the services will release updated rankings after the signing period is complete. ESPN.com and CNNSI.com had ISU's class ranked 10 and 16th, respectively, but that was prior to Harper's commitment. ISU's entire class consists of four junior college players (Harper, Barnes, Alexander, Vroman) and one prep (Haluska).

"You look at teams like Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Cincinnati, who were surprises this past season, and you can attribute that to them recruiting outstanding junior college players," Clark Francis, editor of HoopScoop said. "I predict Iowa State will be in that category next year because of the excellent junior college players they signed. Most people don't give junior college players their due, which is unfair. I definitely think ISU made a major statement with this class and solved much of its problems. Then you throw in a great in-state top-75 high school recruit in Adam Haluska with the four JUCOs, and it is an added bonus."

"With Barnes and Harper, Iowa State got two of the top five junior college players in the nation," Mike Mitchell of the Midwest Scouting Service said. "Vroman is also a terrific prospect. He led his conference (Scenic West) in both scoring and rebounding and the Scenic West was probably the best junior college conference in the nation this past year. The guys Coach Eustachy got are all legitimate national recruits and will have a huge impact on the program."

Adam Haluska (pronounced Ha-LUH-ska)Guard, 6-5, 205, Freshman Carroll, Iowa (Carroll)Carroll High School: Generally considered one of the top players in Iowa and a top 75 national recruit, Adam Haluska was the earliest commitment in Cyclone basketball history...Haluska, arguably the best prep athlete in the state, committed to ISU and Larry Eustachy prior to his sophomore year in high school in November of 1999...the 6-5 guard has the ability to shoot from long range and the athleticsm to score and drive to the hoop...Eustachy saw Haluska's potential early on, but it wasn't until Haluska competed at the Adidas ABCD camp in the summer of 2001 when he started receiving national recognition...the Carroll prep was outstanding at the Adidas camp, making the senior all-star team, earning top-five shooting guard honors and was ranked among the top 25 players at the camp...he followed that camp with some impressive AAU performances, increasing his stock dramatically...Haluska's name appears in the following prep individual national rankings: FoxSports.com, No. 32; Bob Gibbons All-Star Report, No. 59; PrepStars.com, No. 72; ESPN.com, No. 43; HoopScoop, No. 59; TheInsiders.com, No. 78; Basketball News, No. 50; Sporting News, No. 71; Athlon Sports, No. 10 shooting guard; ESPN.com, No. 13 shooting guard...Basketball Times rated him the Best Shooter from Mid-Range...was a top 100 finalist for the McDonald's All-American team...though not a national name until last summer, Haluska has been known for some time in Iowa...as a four-year starter for Carroll, Haluska has averaged over 17 ppg since his freshman year in high school...capped off his senior campaign with his third consecutive first-team Des Moines Register Class 3-A all-state selection, averaging 30.1 ppg and 9.9 rpg...named Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year as the state's top prep hoopster...had the second-best scoring average in the state, shooting 55.5 percent (256-461) from the floor and 34.9 percent (37-106) from 3-point range...finished his prep career with 2,209 points, the eighth-best total in Iowa prep history and the top scoring output for an Iowa large school (Class 3-A/4-A) player in state history...posted a career-high 47 points vs. Carlisle...averaged 17.6 ppg and 6.9 rpg as a freshman, 21.5 points and eight boards as a sophomore and 29.8 points and 11 rebounds as a junior...as a freshman, shot 61 percent (136-223) from the field and 50 percent (19-38) from 3-point range...as a sophomore, shot 55.8 percent (186-333) from the field and 79.2 percent (57-72) from the foul line...as a junior, shot 53.6 percent from the field (288-537) and 37.7 percent (52-138) from 3-point range...was the Class 3-A state player of the year as a junior and senior...earned first-team all-conference honors and led the league in scoring all four seasons...his squad won the Raccoon River Conference title all four years...also lettered in baseball, football and track and field...his track and field exploits have been well documented...was named the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2001 Iowa State Track and Field Championships as a junior...was the Class 3-A state champion in the 100 meters (10.84), 200 meters (21.67) and long jump (23-3 1/4)...his times in the 100 and 200 meters were Class 3-A state records...also won the Class 3-A long jump title as a sophomore...son of Steve and Kim Haluska...his father is the principal at Carroll High School...coached in high school by Keith Stribe.

Eustachy Says:"This has been a long time coming. He is the earliest commitment in ISU basketball history. With how early he committed and the proximity of his hometown (Carroll), I think he will adjust quicker than anybody."

Chris Alexander Center, 7-1, 235, Junior Chicago, Ill. (Thornton Township/Indian Hills CC)Indian Hills Community College: One of the top centers in junior college...is a good scorer and a solid shot-blocker...helped Indian Hills to the Region 11 title and a fourth-place national tournament finish as a freshman and led IHCC to a top-10 national ranking as a sophomore...missed eight games and was hampered the majority of his freshman season because of a broken jaw...averaged 5.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 1.0 bpg in a reserve role after the injury...prior to the injury, scored double figures in three-straight games, including 20- and 21-point nights...was a 59 percent shooter from the field...had an outstanding sophomore season for IHCC, averaging 11.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 2.3 bpg en route to second-team Region 11 honors...led the conference (ICCAC) in field goal percentage (73.6 percent), making 167-of-227 shots from the floor...his 73.6 percent clip from the field breaks Indian Hills' single-season field goal percentage mark...was the second-best rebounder in the conference (8.1 rpg) and led the league in blocked shots with 77 (2.3 bpg)...led the team in double-doubles...averaged 16.9 ppg in his last 12 games, scoring in double figures in all but one contest and posting over 20 points in five of the last 12 games...scored 12 of his 20 points in the final eight minutes to help IHCC down Northeast Nebraska...also grabbed a season-high 17 boards in that game...tallied a career-high 30 points vs. Clinton CC...in a later game vs. Clinton, recorded a triple-double, posting 20 points, 12 boards and 10 blocks...picked ISU over DePaul, Oklahoma, Fresno State and Kansas State...picked as the sixth-best junior college center by Van Coleman's FutureStars...Greg Swaim picked Alexander as the 11th-best junior college prospect...Rick Ball of Ballplayers JC Report has Alexander listed as the 10th-best center in junior college...coached in junior college by Mike Marquis and Lorenzo Watkins.Thornton High School: Was a top-50 national prospect coming out of Thornton High School...a high honorable mention selection from Street & Smith's...a member of the Illinois Fire AAU team...averaged 15.0 ppg, 13 rpg and five bpg as a senior, earning all-state honors...named MVP of the Rich South Big Dipper Tournament after scoring 14 points, grabbing 14 boards and blocking eight shots vs. Rich Central in the tourney championship game...averaged 17.8 ppg, 12 rebounds and seven blocks in that tournament...listed as the 12th-best center in the class of 2000 by Hoops4U.com...coached in high school by Rocky Hill.

Eustachy Says:"Chris has unlimited potential. He is by far and away the quickest, most athletic big man I have ever had the opportunity to coach."

Jackson Vroman Center, 6-10, 230, Junior Bountiful, Utah (Viewmont/Snow CC)Snow Community College: Another late bloomer who emerged as one of the top junior college prospects...was not recruited heavily out of high school because he attended four different high schools...his parents relocated so frequently, he never established eligibility until his senior year...can run the floor well, is physical inside and has a 35-inch vertical leap...Vroman had an outstanding sophomore season, leading the Scenic West Conference in both scoring (23.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.6 rpg) for a team that finished 25-8...earned first-team all-conference, first-team all-Region 18 and was edged out for conference and region player of the year honors by three votes (102-99) to Jaime Lloreda (a Louisiana State recruit) of Dixie College...Lloreda is listed as the nation's second-best junior college recruit by Rob Harrington's PrepStars..Dixie State knocked Snow out of the national tournament with a 59-58 win in the regional final...Dixie went on to win the NJCAA Division I national championship...was named SWAC player of the week three times during the season...had the second-best field goal percentage in the conference at 62.2 percent (295-474) and led the league in double-doubles with 18...scored a career-high 33 points vs. Utah Valley State...ranked fourth in the league in blocked shots (1.0 bpg)...earned first-team Scenic West Conference and Region 18 all-district honors as a freshman after leading the team in scoring (10.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg)...because Snow utilized an 11-player rotation, Vroman averaged only 13.1 minutes per game...started 18 games and shot 54.3 percent (132-243) from the floor...tallied 13 blocks and 20 steals...a fourth-team preseason junior college All-American from Street & Smith's...FutureStars picked him as the second-best junior college center...Greg Swaim listed him as the fourth-best junior college prospect...selected as the ninth-best junior college center by Rick Ball's Ballplayers JC Report...chose ISU over Utah, Utah State, Wyoming and Purdue...coached in junior college by Jon Judkins and assisted by Curtis Condie, who was an assistant coach for Larry Eustachy at Utah State...father, Brett, played basketball at UCLA and UNLV and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1978 NBA Draft, playing one season with the Utah Jazz, averaging 3.1 ppg and 2.3 rpg in 11 games in the 1980-81 season.

Snow College Head Coach Jon Judkins Says:"Jackson is the best competitor I have ever been around. He plays hard, he's vocal and he's a great leader. It is very difficult to find a player with all of those attributes and that is why we will miss him so much. I wish we had him for another two years."

Eustachy Says:"At 6-10, Jackson is a Martin Rancik-type player. He can shoot and he is extremely active and has unlimited potential."

Tim Barnes Guard, 6-1, 165, Junior Hendersen, Ky. (Hendersen County/Southeastern Illinois CC)Southeastern Illinois Community College: Regarded as one of the nation's best junior college products, Barnes blossomed into a top-notch point guard...is a tremendous ballhandler and excellent shooter for a point guard...his improvement and emergence on the national scene went full circle in his sophomore year at Southeastern Illinois CC, garnering first-team Region XXIV honors and rated as the nation's No. 1 junior college point guard prospect...averaged 19.4 ppg, 7.2 apg and 2.1 spg, leading his team to a 26-7 mark and a Region XXIV championship game appearance...in his two seasons at SEICC, led the squad to a school-record 26 wins each season...was named Region XXIV Player of the Year over Wabash Valley's Antwain Barbour, who has signed with Kentucky and is ranked as the nation's No. 1 junior college player by Rob Harrington's PrepStars...of SEICC's seven losses Barnes' senior season, five of them were to teams in the national tournament...shot 46.7 percent from 3-point range...has the school record in assists for a single-season (260) and career (498)...scored over 30 points in four of his last five games...in his final home game, scored 31 points behind six treys vs. Kaskaskia...poured in a career-high 33 points against Logan in the region semifinal game, going 6-for-10 from three-point range...had 22 points and 10 assists in the Region XXIV championship game vs. Wabash Valley...Wabash Valley went on to finish fourth in the national tournament...was at SEICC for three seasons, redshirting his initial season in junior college...graduated from high school a year early, turning 17 over the summer after his graduation at 142 pounds...used his redshirt season and first year of competition to improve his game and increase his weight...broke his ankle in a pickup game his freshman season that forced him to redshirt...in his first season as the SEICC floor leader, helped his team to a 26-4 record by averaging 15.3 ppg, 8.4 apg, 2.4 spg and 3.3 rpg...his assist-to-turnover ratio was an impressive 5-to-1...ended the season earning Region XXIV all-district honors...scored 29 points vs. Olney Central to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Region XXIV Tournament...shot 50 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from 3-point range and 77 percent from the foul line...tallied a career-high 15 assists in a game his freshman year...grew up in Chicago, Ill., and moved to Kentucky for his final two seasons of high school...Rick Ball of Ballplayers JC Report picked Barnes as the nation's top junior college point guard...FutureStars lists him as the nation's second-best JUCO point guard...a second-team preseason junior college All-American by Street & Smith's...the 24th-best junior college player by Greg Swaim...was invited to Rick Ball's top-40 camp...chose Iowa State over Auburn, Texas Christian, Oklahoma, Marquette and DePaul...coached in junior college by Todd Franklin.

Southeastern Illinois College Head Coach Todd Franklin Says:"Timmy was the only sophomore on our team, so he had to do a little bit of everything. He was our floor general, emotional leader and our go-to player when we needed a basket. We played against some of the highest level of competition almost every night, and I would hate to think what our season would have been like without Timmy. He is the best point guard I have ever seen at this level in junior college and I have seen a lot of great players."

JC Ballplayers Report editor, Rick Ball says:"Barnes is a true point guard who has great speed, quickness and is an excellent shooter, but his best attribute is he makes everyone around him better. He is not Jamaal Tinsley because he is only 165 pounds, but he is a small-town Kentucky kid that can just really play."

Jerome Harper Guard/Forward, 6-5, 205 Columbia, S.C. (Keenan/Indian Hills CC)Indian Hills Community College: Regarded as one of the best high school players in the class of 2000, Harper, a McDonald's High School All-American, had a standout two-year career at Indian Hills...was IHCC's go-to player on offense and in the clutch, taking over games late...an excellent offensive player who can slash and also be effective from downtown...the top defender on the team...as a freshman, averaged 10.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 2.9 apg, helping IHCC to the Region 11 title and a national fourth-place finish...was an all-Region 11 pick as a freshman despite missing the first six games of the season with a left knee injury that hampered him the rest of the year...heading into his final season at IHCC, was selected as a second-team preseason All-American by Street & Smith's...Rick Ball of Ballplayers Report picked him as the fifth-best shooting guard in the nation...Rob Harrington's PrepStars rates him as the seventh-best junior college player...Van Coleman's Future Stars listed him as the second-best shooting guard in the nation...as a sophomore, led IHCC to a top 10 national ranking, averaging a team-high 14.2 ppg and 3.4 rpg, earning first-team all-Region 11 honors...missed two games late in the season with a knee injury (torn cartilage in right knee) that required surgery...shot 30.9 percent from behind the arc, making 38-of-123 shots from downtown...was 53.3 percent from the field (136-255)...averaged 2.9 assists per game...led the ICCAC with 78 steals (2.5 spg)...scored a career-high 28 points against Moberly...failied to score in double figures just five times in 32 games...had six 20-point outings...chose Iowa State over South Carolina, Auburn, Oklahoma, Illinois and Florida...coached in junior college by Mike Marquis and Lorenzo Watkins. Keenan High School: Considered one of the best prep players in the nation coming out of Keenan High School in 2000...was named to the 2000 McDonald's All-Star game, scoring 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting from the field in the All-Star Classic played in Boston...he joins former Cyclone All-American and current Chicago Bull Marcus Fizer as the only two McDonald's All-Americans to don a Cyclone uniform...was included on nearly everyone's All-American list heading into his senior year at Keenan after averaging 19 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 5.1 apg his junior season...shot 51 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the line while helping his squad, which finished the season 24-5, to a runner-up Class AAA South Carolina state championship...his single-game highs in his junior season were: points (30), rebounds (12) and assists (10)...participated in many prep summer camps following his junior season, including the Adidas ABCD camp, where he averaged 13.6 ppg and 2.1 rpg and was selected to the Senior All-Star Game...scored 34 and 33 points at the Adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev...participated in the Sonny Vaccaro All-Star game...was a second-team preseason All-American by Street & Smith's heading into senior season...capped off an impressive senior campaign by leading his team to the South Carolina Class 3-A state championship and earned first-team all-state honors and South Carolina's Mr. Basketball Award...averaged 24.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 7.3 apg, as his team raced to a school-record 30 wins...the Harper-led 2000 Keenan squad was ranked as the 20th-best high school team in South Carolina prep history according to the State newspaper...came off the bench in the second half to score 18 points in 14 minutes vs. Fairfield Central...first-team Parade Magazine All-American...Sporting News rated him as the 13-best player in the nation of the class of 2000...recruiting guru Brick Oettinger called him the best mid-range shooter in his class...Basketball News ranked him as the 13th-best player nationally...Hoops4U.com listed him the third-best shooter in his class...out of high school, was recruited by Cincinnati, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Maryland, Michigan, N.C. State, South Carolina and UCLA...originally signed with Cincinnati out of high school before ending up at Indian Hills...nicknamed "Buddy"...his cousin is Jermaine O'Neal, all-star center for the Indiana Pacers.